Kitezh
Encyclopedia
Kitezh was a mythical city
on the shores of the Svetloyar lake in the Voskresensky District
of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
in central Russia
. It appears for the first time in "Kitezh Chronicle", an anonymous book from the late 18th century, believed to have originated among the Old believers
.
The legend has it that Georgy II
, Grand Prince
of Vladimir
, first built the town of Maly Kitezh (Little Kitezh) on the Volga River
(today's Krasny Kholm
). It is sometimes erroneously identified with Gorodets
, which was actually founded some 30 years before Georgy's birth in 1189. Later on, the prince crossed the river
s of Uzola
, Sanda and Kerzhenets
and found a beautiful spot on the shores of the Svetloyar Lake, where he decided to build the town of Bolshoy Kitezh (Big Kitezh). According to folk etymology, the name of the town came from the royal residence of Kideksha
(near Suzdal
), ransacked by the Mongols in 1237, while Max Vasmer
labels the place-name as "obscure".http://kluev.org.ua/collegium/kitez_web.htm
After having conquered some of the Russian lands, Batu Khan
heard of Kitezh and ordered his army to advance towards it. The Mongols soon captured Maly Kitezh, forcing Georgy to retreat into the woods towards Bolshoy Kitezh. One of the prisoners
told the Mongols about some secret paths to the Lake Svetloyar. The army of the Horde
followed Georgy and soon reached the walls of the town. To the surprise of the Mongols, the town had no fortification
s whatsoever. Its citizens didn't even intend to defend themselves and were engaged in fervent praying, asking God for their redemption. On seeing this, the Mongols rushed to the attack, but then stopped. Suddenly, they saw countless fountains of water bursting from under the ground all around them. The attackers fell back and watched the town submerge into the lake. The last thing they saw was a glaring dome of a cathedral
with a cross on top of it. Soon, there were only waves.
This legend gave birth to numerous incredible rumors, which have survived to this day. It is said that only those who are pure in their heart and soul will find their way to Kitezh (ironically, the road to the lake is still called "Батыева тропа", or the Path of Batu). It is also said that in calm weather one can sometimes hear the wailing sound of chiming bell
s and people singing from under the waters of the Lake Svetloyar. Some people say that the most pious individuals may actually see the lights of religious procession
s (called "крестный ход") and even buildings on the bottom of the lake. This is why the Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the "Russian Atlantis
".
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
on the shores of the Svetloyar lake in the Voskresensky District
Voskresensky District, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Voskresensky District, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is an administrative district , one of the 47 in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia....
of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
in central Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It appears for the first time in "Kitezh Chronicle", an anonymous book from the late 18th century, believed to have originated among the Old believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
.
The legend
Yuri II
Yuri II , also known as George II of Vladimir or Georgy II Vsevolodovich , was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir who presided over Vladimir-Suzdal at the time of the Mongol invasion of Russia.He was the third and best-loved son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna.He first...
, Grand Prince
Grand Prince
The title grand prince or great prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns...
of Vladimir
Vladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
, first built the town of Maly Kitezh (Little Kitezh) on the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
(today's Krasny Kholm
Krasny Kholm
Krasny Kholm is a town and the administrative center of Krasnokholmsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: It was attested as the village of Spas-na-Kholmu as early as 1518. The village belonged to the Antoniyev Monastery of St. Nicholas until its lands were secularized in 1764. In...
). It is sometimes erroneously identified with Gorodets
Gorodets
Gorodets is a town and the administrative center of Gorodetsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Volga River, northwest of Nizhny Novgorod...
, which was actually founded some 30 years before Georgy's birth in 1189. Later on, the prince crossed the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s of Uzola
Uzola River
Uzola River, also spelled as Usola River is a river in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga. The length of the river is . The area of its basin is . The Uzola River freezes up in November and stays under the ice until April....
, Sanda and Kerzhenets
Kerzhenets River
Kerzhenets River is a river in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga, joining the Volga near Lyskovo, about 70 km east of Nizhny Novgorod.-History:...
and found a beautiful spot on the shores of the Svetloyar Lake, where he decided to build the town of Bolshoy Kitezh (Big Kitezh). According to folk etymology, the name of the town came from the royal residence of Kideksha
Kideksha
Kideksha is a village in Suzdalsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kamenka and Nerl Rivers, east of Suzdal....
(near Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
), ransacked by the Mongols in 1237, while Max Vasmer
Max Vasmer
Max Vasmer was a Russian-born German linguist who studied problems of etymology of Indo-European, Finno-Ugric and Turkic languages and worked on history of Slavic, Baltic, Iranian, and Finno-Ugric peoples....
labels the place-name as "obscure".http://kluev.org.ua/collegium/kitez_web.htm
After having conquered some of the Russian lands, Batu Khan
Batu Khan
Batu Khan was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Ulus of Jochi , the sub-khanate of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde , which ruled Rus and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies...
heard of Kitezh and ordered his army to advance towards it. The Mongols soon captured Maly Kitezh, forcing Georgy to retreat into the woods towards Bolshoy Kitezh. One of the prisoners
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
told the Mongols about some secret paths to the Lake Svetloyar. The army of the Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
followed Georgy and soon reached the walls of the town. To the surprise of the Mongols, the town had no fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s whatsoever. Its citizens didn't even intend to defend themselves and were engaged in fervent praying, asking God for their redemption. On seeing this, the Mongols rushed to the attack, but then stopped. Suddenly, they saw countless fountains of water bursting from under the ground all around them. The attackers fell back and watched the town submerge into the lake. The last thing they saw was a glaring dome of a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
with a cross on top of it. Soon, there were only waves.
This legend gave birth to numerous incredible rumors, which have survived to this day. It is said that only those who are pure in their heart and soul will find their way to Kitezh (ironically, the road to the lake is still called "Батыева тропа", or the Path of Batu). It is also said that in calm weather one can sometimes hear the wailing sound of chiming bell
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
s and people singing from under the waters of the Lake Svetloyar. Some people say that the most pious individuals may actually see the lights of religious procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
s (called "крестный ход") and even buildings on the bottom of the lake. This is why the Lake Svetloyar is sometimes called the "Russian Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
".
Kitezh in arts
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov'sNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
opera Tale of the Invisible City of KitezhThe Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden FevroniyaThe Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya is an opera in four acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by Vladimir Belsky, and is based on a combination of two Russian legends: that of St. Fevroniya of Murom, and the city of Kitezh, which became invisible...
(1907) is partially based on the legend of Kitezh. - The town is also mentioned, among many other references to Russian folklore, in Monday Begins on SaturdayMonday Begins on SaturdayMonday Begins on Saturday is a 1964 science fiction / science fantasy novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. Set in a fictional town in northern Russia, where highly classified research in magic occurs, the novel is a satire of Soviet scientific research institutes, complete with an inept...
, a novel by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and CharodeyCharodeyCharodei is a 1982 Soviet film directed by Konstantin Bromberg, loosely based on the science fantasy novel Monday Begins on Saturday by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky....
film and film script. - The acclaimed German filmmaker Werner HerzogWerner HerzogWerner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
went in search of Kitezh in his short documentary Bells from the DeepBells from the DeepBells from the Deep: Faith and Superstition in Russia, is a 1993 documentary film written and directed by Werner Herzog, produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion.-Summary:...
(1993). - Kitezh is mentioned in KrakenKraken (novel)Kraken is a cyberpunk/fantasy novel by British author China Miéville. It is published in the UK by Macmillan, and in the US by Del Rey Books. The book bears the subtitle "An Anatomy" on the title page....
by China Miéville.China MiévilleChina Tom Miéville is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" , and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party...
"Marge read of their utopias, sunk not in ruination but reward: Kitezh, Atlantis, Tyno Helig."